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Right now she needs whatever positive thoughts and "prayers" you can send her. She is facing a serious problem with her goats.

This morning when she went out to the paddocks and called them they didn't come. She couldn't see them anywhere.

She found them in their shed. (Except for Jenny who was laying outside.)

They were all in pretty bad shape. They were foaming at the mouth. Their eyes were bulging and appeared dilated. Their breathing was labored. None of them were able to stand on their feet.

Someone dumped a large amount of Rhododendron leaves over the fence into the goat's paddock. The vet says that they are highly poisonous. Right now it appears that Jenny has dodged the bullet. But the others, especially Jacob and another who's name I can't remember, well things don't look so good. In fact it appears pretty bleak. It's just a matter of wait and see if they can flush the toxic stuff out of them quickly enough but as I said, it looks pretty bad right now. The vet tried inserting a tube down their throats, but that wasn't working. So it's a matter of Jan using a large syringe to try and instill enough fluids in them to do the flushing.

Jan won't be in the forums for awhile and wanted everyone to know the reason. So whatever we can do in our little cyber world to lend our support and offer our love, let's do it.

Thank you RAB for informing us and keeping us informed. Poor little Jacob. Suffering animals are one big heartbreak. This was a tragic mistake of some kind, surely. It is inconceivable that someone would do this intentionally.Oh, hell. Poisonous leaves!Mike

Jan, I am in tears over your loss right now. I am such a BIG animal lover and I know the special role they play in our lives -- every day of every week. I lost my first dog in April and have Mr. Cheech who is still here with me. I just can't imagine the shock and pain you must be feeling at all of this happening so fast. I am so very sorry about Jacob. Fight the good fight with the others. Try as hard as you possibly can.

Jan, I'm sorry to hear about your animals illness. I just hope it was someone that thought they were doing something nice by giving the goats something to snack on, instead of someone being mean and cruel. I would have not known not to give a goat rhododendron leaves. I hope everything works out.

"I'm not keen on the idea of the afterlife - not without knowing who else will be there and what the entertainment will be. Personally I'd rather just take a rest." Oscar Berger, PWA: Looking AIDS in the Face, 1996. RIP.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

We had a neighbor that liked to give antifreeze to cats and dogs... mine included, so I know what it's like. I just hope this was an accident. You're in our thoughts. Thanks for letting us know, Rocky.